The next morning, Mal was at Serenity's controls setting a course back to Persephone. It was once again time to look for work and in the day or two it would take to reach Persephone, Badger would probably be awake and looking to return home.
Simon knocked at the entrance to the bridge prompting Mal to turn, "Hey doc, you're up kinda early."
"Yeah, can't sleep really."
Mal's attention went back to the controls as he replied, "Beautiful young lady you sleep next to, I don't know how you can't just lay there and be happy."
Simon looked quite nervous and Mal picked up on it. He turned back to the controls and asked, "What's on your mind doc?"
Simon hesitated for a moment before responding, "Do you think Kaylee's parents would like me?"
Mal was caught off guard at Simon's question but his interest was peaked. He slowly turned in his chair, "Mind if I ask why?" he asked with a devilish smile on his face.
Simon now looked even more uncomfortable. While Mal had every intention of answering the doctor's question, he was enjoying the sight of Simon squirming.
Simon turned and looked back to the crew's quarters to make sure the door to his and Kaylee's bunk was still shut before approaching Mal. He knelt beside him and whispered, "I want to ask her to marry me."
Mal wasn't as shocked as he made himself out to be but he did enjoy seeing Simon squirm.
"WHAT?!" Mal yelled.
Simon's arms raised and waved like crazy as he motioned to the captain to quiet down, "SHHH!!! I don't want her to wake up!!" he whispered angrily.
"Sorry this is just unexpected is'all." Mal replied quietly, "Would her parents like you, let me think…"
Mal's extended pause left Simon breathless, "…No, not at all." Mal finally finished.
Simon apparently forgot every bit of the stealth he was aiming for and proceeded to scream at the captain, "What do you mean no!? I'm a decent person…"
"You're a wanted fugitive." Mal interjected.
"I'm a doctor…"
"On an illegal transport ship."
"Mal!!!"
Mal's face finally gave up the ghost as he burst into laughter. Simon's face told the rage he was feeling as he asked, "Just what in the rutting hell is so funny?"
Mal struggled to catch his breath and got out a few words, "I'm just teasing you Simon."
"WHAT?!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. I ain't a reader like yer sister but ya come in here askin' if my mechanic's parents will like you, its pretty obvious what you're plannin'."
Simon wanted nothing more than to punch Mal in the face, but couldn't help seeing the humor in what he'd done to him, eventually coming to laugh to himself before continuing.
"Well?" Simon asked.
Mal paused again, briefly this time; "I think they'd be honored ta have you as their son-in-law."
Simon smiled wide before reaching over and giving Mal an unexpected hug.
"Whoa, hey now." Mal said as he pushed Simon away, "There'll be none'a that." Mal exclaimed as he extended his right hand.
Simon shook Mal's hand as Mal once again showed his rare softer side, "So what're ya waitin' for? Git down there and ask'er!"
Simon smiled and ran back to his and Kaylee's bunk. Mal flipped a few switches at the controls to engage the autopilot and made his way to the door to crew's quarters. He propped himself up against the doorjamb and folded his arms waiting with an ear-to-ear grin for what he knew was coming.
A moment later, Kaylee began shrieking in excitement from her bunk and a second later, Zoe and Jayne emerged from their bunks to see what had happened.
"What the hell's goin on?" Jayne asked with his eyes barely open.
"Just wait, this is gonna be good." Mal replied.
Kaylee sprang from her bunk with a smile that could have ended the battle of Serenity Valley. Simon followed her out a moment later, also smiling quite intently.
"This better be good to have woken us up at 0800." Said a very groggy Jayne.
"Simon asked me to marry him!"
The room was silent for a minute as everyone waited for Kaylee to continue. Zoe finally spoke up, "And…"
Kaylee looked dumbfounded for a minute as she was too caught up in excitement to process Zoe's comment, "Oh, I said yes."
"Well hey then congratulations!" Jayne said as he reached over to shake Simon's hand.
Simon being caught a little off guard by a nice gesture on behalf of Jayne flinched a bit before replying with a smile, "Thank you."
Kaylee bounced about the room showing the ring off and couldn't help but reach Zoe who was wearing somewhat of a contrived smile. Kaylee froze in place before Zoe as silence fell on the room. Her smile disappeared as she addressed Zoe's blatant sadness, "Zo, I'm sorry, I…I didn't think."
"Hey…" Zoe grabbed Kaylee by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes, "It's alright ya hear? You don't worry about me right now alright? You be happy, we're all happy for you." Zoe said with a smile.
Kaylee's reached around Zoe and gave her a hug. As they pulled apart, Zoe exclaimed, "So lets see it!"
Kaylee raised her hand wearing a Silver ring with a small diamond in the center. As they took in the rather small stone, everyone turned to Simon, their best "Are-you-kidding" faces present and accounted for.
"Hey! Its all I could afford." Simon stated rather angrily.
Their faces reverted back to smiles and everyone made their way to the Galley, save for Mal. As he entered the Galley he continued to walk straight through, Simon took notice, "Mal?"
"I'm gonna go get River, she's usually up by now and she's been asleep for almost 17 hours."
Simon nodded; the sleep-aid he gave her should be wearing off anytime now. Mal continued to River's bunk but when he arrived, he found it empty. He turned back to the common room, then to the cargo hold. River was nowhere to be found. She wasn't topside, and the only room he hadn't checked was the infirmary.
Mal made his way to River's least favorite room to find her sitting on Simon's stool beside Badger. He peaked his head in and asked, "River, you alright darlin'?" Mal asked.
"He's so sad Mal." River replied.
"You can hear'em?"
"He's dreaming about what happened on Persephone. Niska's men came to him asking for information about you. When he refused to give you up, they shot everyone. We're bringing him home, to nothing."
Mal felt horrible at what she had said. Just as she carried so much pain with her, he did with him.
"What do you think we should do with him?"
"We'll have to ask him, how far away from Persephone are we?"
"'Bout 1 day." Mal replied
"'Bout 1 day before what?" Badger asked with closed eyes and a horse voice.
Mal approached the table Badger laid on and leaned over his business associate, "Hey Badge, how you feelin'?"
Badger didn't respond right away. River read him as she typically did everyone else.
"He doesn't want to go back Mal."
Badger's head turned to River and his eyes opened wide, "How you know that love?"
River looked at Mal who spoke for her, "She can read you Badge."
"Read, like what, read my thoughts?"
"Yes, your thoughts, your dreams, everything." River replied.
"Tha's impossible, no one could do that."
River's face wore a terrible sadness as she contemplated the most polite way to state her thoughts, "I wish we had known. I wish I could have seen what they were planning. I could have saved you and everyone else, but there was too much, maybe we were too far away. I'm sorry."
He absorbed River's words as she softly spoke them with the utmost of sympathy in her voice. He lay quiet for a moment as the incident played in his head again. As the thoughts coursed through him, River's eyes closed and her head jerked. Badger looked up at her cringing and saw Mal was not lying about her; he could see that she did indeed feel what he was going through.
"My god…"
"You might wanna think'a somethin' else." Mal instructed.
Badger cleared his head and River's eyes slowly opened.
"Thank you. I feel terrible for what happened and as you think of it I see what you saw. I'm so sorry."
Badger swallowed and turned back to Mal as he replied to River, "S'alright love."
Mal smiled slightly at Badger, "Thank you."
"Thank me? For what?"
"Ya didn't sell me out."
Badger smiled as he replied, "Business man captain Reynolds. Not a snitch."
Mal smiled and replied, "I should get the doc ta check ya over."
"I'll get Simon captain, you should keep him awake." River interjected.
"You sure?"
"Yes, he also has something to ask you and he doesn't want me to hear it." River replied as Badger gave her a wide-eyed look.
She gave him a wink before leaving the infirmary.
"Does she…" Mal cut Badger off, "Yeah, all the time. She's my pilot and I never get ta ask'er a gorram thing." Mal replied with a smile.
"So what do you want ta ask me?" Mal pried.
Badger was silent for a moment. He always viewed himself as a better man than Mal, but as he lay in the infirmary on the captain's ship, he wasn't in any position to be thinking anything of himself or Mal. Finally he replied, "I've got no place to go Mal. They took everything from me, my men, my effects, my home; I've got nothin' left on that rock."
Mal nodded, "Think I see where you're goin' with this."
"What do you think? Wouldn't be permanent, less we both want it ta be." Badger replied.
Mal sighed, "So what can ya do besides drum up work?"
"Ya got a cook?" Badger asked receiving a smile from Mal.
Simon entered the infirmary a moment later as Mal shook Badger's hand.
Mal stepped away from the table and addressed Simon, "Think we might'a found ourselves a cook doc." Mal said with a smile before exiting the infirmary.
As Mal made his way back to the Galley, he found River and Inara congratulating Kaylee on her engagement. Zoe and Jayne were in the Galley fixing breakfast, oddly engulfed in conversation about the best way to prepare eggs.
He took in the sight and mixed conversations of his crew with a smile. So much had happened these past months. Everyone had changed; everyone had grown closer together. They were no longer just a crew they had become family. Mal thought to himself on this rare happy morning, "I think we're gonna be OK."
As the thought crossed his mind, River turned to him, offering him a wink and a warm smile that the captain returned.